7.62 L2 A2 Five Pocket Ammo Belt with ---UPDATE=

wallyent

March 25, 2013 12:18

We have a couple 5 pocket green ammo belts marked 7.62 L2 A1 and AUST MK1 on them. Eack pocket has 2-5 round brass cartridges on clips with MF F4 83 on the headstamps. Are these like the standard 308 cal? 7.62x51?? or what exactly? Thanks.
Also anyone know the value of them? They look like new.

So can they be used in any 308 rifle?

**ADDED** Thanks all for all the info. Really appreciated. Have added pictures now that might help clarify exactly. Probably should have done that in the beginning. This bandoleer has brass snaps and the other one has steel snaps. Stripper clips have 1981 stamped on bottom.

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  45er

  March 25, 2013 12:46

  wallyent,
  
  It is Berdan primed, 1983 Aussie manufactured 7.62x51-NATO spec,(not the standard .308 commercial). It was for use in the Aussie L2-A1,(their version of the FAL). Never shot it, but supposed to be A-okay stuff.
  
  Sorry, don't know the value, but the whole package adds a nice ensemble. Last I looked a few months ago, 7.62-NATO was roughly $.50-cents a pop. Look on the closed, (ended), auction side?
  
  EDIT Agree 5-round strippers as odd for filling up a 30-round magazine. Yet, fact is Down-Under did use 5-shot strippers packed in 5-pocket bandoliers, ("belts" a bit confusing).
  The cartridge casings as stamped were common place in Aussieland, and sold here accordingly as going rate common surplus. Nothing special such as match quality sniper fodder.
  Hence, I find doubtful what wallyent has was for the sniper bolt rifle. Too, the L2-A1, as marked, is their heavy barrel variation of the FAL.
  All seems self-explantory, as pictured here, about in the middle of the link page...
  http://www.northridgeinc.com/store/index.cfm/c223
  
  EDIT-2 Wallyent, sorry, got caught up in I.D.'ing your battle pack fodder, but to answer your last question... yes it can be fired in any rifle designed for either .308-Win or 7.62x51.
  45er

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  rufe-snow

  March 25, 2013 17:55

  I just don't see the Australian's reloading their Fals with 5 round strippers from a 50 round ammo belt. I might be wrong though?
  
  They used a Mauser action, bolt handled, sniper rifle. Made by Parker -Hale in England, during the 80's. My guess is that the ammo belts you have, was for the guys who were issued these rifles.
  
  I would do some checking before selling them. Any Sniper stuff seems to be uncommon, and bring good money from collectors. From what I have seen.

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  llama

  March 25, 2013 18:36

  Yes, FAL food is/was packed on stripper clips by some. The F4 is good ammo.

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  Txs

  March 25, 2013 20:22

  quote:Originally posted by rufe-snow
  I just don't see the Australian's reloading their Fals with 5 round strippers from a 50 round ammo belt. I might be wrong though?
  
  They used a Mauser action, bolt handled, sniper rifle. Made by Parker -Hale in England, during the 80's. My guess is that the ammo belts you have, was for the guys who were issued these rifles.I'm inclined to agree.
  
  That's the only rifle they have that fits this bill.

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  CDMead

  March 27, 2013 16:12

  Here is a picture of the side of a can of Australian ammo I bought several years ago:
  
  
  
  This is a close up of one of the bandoleers:
  
  
  
  I didn't save any of the stripper clips nor do I remember if there was a clip guide in the packaging.
  
  I believe the standard packaging for FALs was like this because our Australian friends reused as much as they could. If you look close, you can see the bandoleer is marked for 303 MKVII ammo at one point. In peacetime it might not make any sense to make longer stripper clips when there are a lot of "small" pocket bandoleers around.
  
  I also have two more cans dated 1987 with similar markings. I don't want to open them because they're "factory" sealed.
  
  YMMV.

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